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You know, the first time I set food into R. House in the up-and-coming (eek!) Remington neighborhood in Baltimore, I thought was wonderful. On the outside looking it, I could see why people could sense stuffy, hipster, unapproachable, and uninviting. Now everyone has an opinion, and I wouldn’t question why folks would think that way. I imagine that I might have thought that way too, initially.

But no, I’ve had fantastic culinary experiences, with friends or on my own, at stall that myself and many others would never had a chance to feast on. I’m writing this on Thanksgiving Day, so I’m feeling a little more thankful than usual. R. House is a place to be thankful for…

However, for months, people were asking where is the pizza?

You have food from all over the globe, yet no pizza. I was asking too. I wanted something a little different to write about. I had a feeling something special was coming…

…And I was right…

Molina Pizze & Polpette,which has been barely open a month, is the perfect complement to everything else in the R. House family, or space if you will. It feels like a family of establishments that all work together to serve us some awesome eats and something out of the ordinary.

I’ll save the other places I’ve dined at for another time, or maybe never haha.. But I will review all five of the pizzas they’re serving as of this write up.

This was done over two visits, and the results were different, but not in the way you would think. I’ll just say a few of the pizzas stood out above the others, but everything was good to great. I may lump a few of these slices together, but here goes.

Visit #1 :

First, and of course, is the Raz. This is their cheese, and for this and the next slice is the crunchier style I would have expected. The cheese pizza itself was fantastic. The basil, for its appearance and its flavor, put this one over significantly. Great pizza.

The Terra is their vegan pie. I forgot that the pesto was lemon basil. Basil is great isn’t it? I could have had this pesto on a piece of bread all by its lonesome and would have been happy. Sounds like a great idea. The veggies all tasted so fresh and blended with this pie so well. And I love when places throw on that arugula that you can’t see anything else. The cashew ricotta is as incredible as it sounds. Oh my goodness right? The texture, the look, and everything. This is not a pie for everyone, but it’s a pie for everyone.

The most recent visit made had the exactly comforting crust, that you may find traditionally at other pizzerias. But why complain? It’s ‘officially’ the holidays and we’re going to be eating this kind of bread, dough, and crust frequently if you’re headed to a party (or ten+) near you.

The Calabria is a slight deviation from the Raz, but with protein, and mmm Chili Oil? Is that was that distinct taste was?

The prosciutto on the Parma made this one fun too. If it wasn’t for that the arugula would take over everything. Did I mention how much I love that? And I love how they’re using lemon as a topping. Here they use lemon juice.

My favorite (which could change instantaneously) is the Henrietta. It contains some of my most valued vegetables. I adore spinach, mushrooms and that gorgonzola is a trifecta of tremendous proportions. And having shallots on a pizza can be a challenge. It can backfire, but not here. Again, I’ve had balsamic glaze on a pie which lead to overkill and be too runny or unnatural. This was natural.

Have I touted this place enough?

Even if you’re not into pizza, they have other things on their menu, which I would love to try sometime. The prices may put off some, but I think they’re justified.

I like what Molina is all about. Actually I love what they’re all about.

This is a Small Business Saturday special. But for me, supporting small business, when it comes to pizza, or other ventures, is what I’m proud to support the most. However, there are mom and pops, brick and mortar, or whatever you want to call it, that strike a nerve just a little more.

All of a sudden it’s December. How did this happen? Last Saturday felt like it was minutes ago. But in the spirit of that, I take it to a town that has meant so much to so many of us, Ellicott City, MD.

I was going to write about River House Pizza Co last summer, but things didn’t work out that way. I stumbled upon their courtyard right smack dab in the heart of Old EC, where I had been many times before. But this one felt special. The weather was glorious, the live band (yes there was a band) was rocking, the crowd was enjoying themselves, and eating some great pizza to boot. I say great, but am I getting ahead of myself? The wait times were upwards of 20 minutes for a pie, and I didn’t have time to wait. At least that’s how I try to rationalize it.

But the planets aligned and this was meant to be a special for the holidays. And how special are these pies? In a chestnut shell, these pizzas taste like perfection for this time of year. They taste like Christmas, or they taste like anything you might celebrate. It’s one of the most comforting and endearing pizzas you’re ever going to have.

To mark the importance of this, there will be two pizzas reviewed over two visits. How cool is that? Yes the pizza is hot and cool, at the same time. That’s enough of the cheesy puns. Wait I’m not even sure if that’s a pun.

The first stop was a fortunate visit to the local library’s farmers’ market. And what do you do know, this would be their last day here, for a while. Funny how that works out.

In the tradition of my play on words and then my love of pesto, I went with the Market Special. This pizza is so simple yet so extraordinary. That dough is so chewy and gooey and as I alluded to, tastes like the holidays. It’s on the level of that cheesy bread you may find at your national chain pizza. But this blows it all away. I can’t rave enough about how amazing this soft dough is. And the balsamic glaze really shines through. It may be the highlight in a sea of highlights. The chicken tasted fresh, the pesto homemade, and that cheese is a pure delight. At only $12 this pie is a bargain.

I saved half of this for lunch the next day, and tasted equally as good. I’m salivating at the thought of having one right now. It’s inspiring.

So that was two weeks ago. We move along to that Saturday after Thanksgiving. After that remarkable display of wood fired fierceness, how do we top this? I’m not sure but the Namaste I got at their Courtyard is on par. And if you look closely, both pizzas complement each other in the spirit of Christmas. I love that so much. I didn’t even plan for that.

I’ll admit, I ordered the Namaste for the name alone. The spiritual connotation was enough for me. And once again, that dough was insanely good. You’ve got to be kidding me. The marinara and red peppers add to the holiday visual. And those caramelized onions, mmm mmm mmm I’m in love. Was that even a sentence? But mmm….This was tremendous. And I continue to find that portabella mushrooms add to most meals and of course that means to most pizza pies.

Needless to say this pizza didn’t stand a chance. I finished it in one sitting. Yes, I was hungry but it was more than that. This was spiritual experience at the courtyard. I was alone, but I wasn’t. There were a few other tables occupied but that wasn’t it. It was just cold enough that being inside was feasible, but the warm energy around me was enough to let me know I was surrounded by spirits.

And with positive spirits comes positive vibrations. And the vibes that radiated from all the shoppers in downtown Ellicott City made me feel so good. I had no problem waiting a few extra minutes to find parking and appreciate all the people going over the crosswalks.

This is what the holidays are all about. Well maybe not all about. This is just a small sample size within one story. We all have those stories that tug at our heartstrings and creative a memory that will resonate with us forever. As time goes on, I’ll appreciate this experience even more.

At the end of this post I’ll share with you some of the images I took in downtown EC. Some were taken from my car, so they may look a bit awkward, but it almost seems fitting.

Here are my two previous visits to Ellicott City gift wrapped to you, in door #1 and door #2! 🙂

I want to review all their pizzas, so this may just be the beginning. And I’m going to safely assume they will all bring joy and make great memories for you and your loved ones. I hope this is just the beginning, and I would like to say I’ll be back soon. This will be a cherished part of my holiday memories and I hope the same happens for you.